NYC Flash Fiction Now History

"Why are you doing NYC Flash Fiction - again?" One of my friends asked me this past weekend. "You always groan about the genre, the time limit, and you are never happy with your story.
Well, of course, that's what makes it fun. Besides, a writer is never happy with the story. I have to put on my editor's hat and declare, I'm finished.
NYC Flash Fiction is a writing competition where people from all over the globe (which is so cool) attempt to write a winning story of 1,000 words or fewer in 48 hours. The catch, you are assigned a genre, a setting, and an object that must be included in the story.
Why I love this!
The competition forces me to write outside my comfort zone and usual genre
I usually browbeat a few of my writing peeps to participate with me, and we have an awesome time reading and advising on each other's work
I receive feedback and a score
I always learn something
I've received my first round scores. I pulled romance - again - a stationery store, with a violin. I made the score board. As much as I'd love to win, getting on the score board is a victory.
The second round is done as well this time - drama, an avocado, in a spare bedroom. Now I wait for the results. Maybe, maybe, maybe, I'll score high enough to make it to round three. Either way, I've written something new.
And...after some time and editing, I published a previous "non-winning" story, Shy Smile. You can read it here - The challenge was Romance, in auto repair shop, with a baby bottle.